Hobby horse



c. M. ZUBLER ET AL. 2,71%589 HOBBY HORSE Filed May 17, 1952 INVENTOR.

HOBBY HORSE Camp M. Zubler, Drexel Hill, and Clarence G. Bird, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 17, 1952, Serial No. 288,453 1 Claim. (Cl. 272-1) Our invention relates to a new, useful and amusing Hobby horse and has for one of its objects to produce an exceedingly simple and amusing toy that may be used by children in playing games such as cowboys, Indians, historical or fictional personages, wherein the top is straddled and pulled along the ground representing an animal riding performance or temporarily supported in a stationary position so that the child may sit thereon to imitate standing still with a rider thereon.

Another object of the invention is to produce a hobby horse comprised of a body or stick having an animals head on one end, a foldable or adjustable leg attached to the body stick intermediate the ends of the latter, and a seat to the rear of but contiguous the joint between said body stick and leg. When the rear end of the body stick and the leg are resting on the ground and the toy is straddled by a child an article is provided which, in effect, is a quadrupted for supporting the child with the toy in a stationary position. In contradistinction thereto, when the leg is folded up against the body stick the child may run with it with the rear end of said body stick dragging along the ground to provide the thrill of riding on the back of an animal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hobby horse including a body stick having the head of an animal on the upper forward end, a leg hinged underneath of said body stick whereby said leg may be folded up against the body stick or projected downwardly into a supporting position while the rear end of said body stick is resting on the ground, and a seat mounted on top of the body stick adjacent to but slightly in the rear of the leg.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the seat that it may be readily attached to the body stick and when the rear end of said body stick and the leg are resting on the ground said seat will be substantially parallel to the ground surface.

A further object of this invention is to provide a unique construction of joint between the body stick and head and including reinforcing elements.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide handles for supporting the toy while riding it, said handles extending through the reinforcing elements and the stick.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this in vention appertains may understand how to make and use the same we will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a hobby horse constructed in accordance with our invention, looking at the front end thereof, with the leg folded underneath of the body stick so that the toy is in position for riding.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the leg down and shownited States Patent "ice 2 ing in phantom the positions of a childs legs when the child is seated on the toy.

Pig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective sectional elevation of the joint between the body stick and head with the toy turned over on one side and looking at the normally underneath edge of said toy.

Fig. 4 is also an enlarged top plan view of a part of the hobby horse in the region of the seat.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and also showing in broken lines how the seat can be swung about its fastening.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the body stick and leg with the hinge member in section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

In carrying out our invention as herein embodied 10 represents a body stick of any desirable cross sectional configuration and of appropriate length to be straddled by a child so that the front end can be supported by the childs hands and rear end dragged along the ground. The body stick is made from any suitable material and when considered with respect to being in use has a top portion, an underneath portion and front and rear ends.

The front end is fashioned to provide a. tenon 11, Fig. 3 which projects upwardly and outwardly relative to the top and bottom edges of said body stick and the base 4 of said tenon is narrower than the body stick, from top to bottom, to form shoulders 12. A head 13 of any animal, such as the horses head shown, has a mortise 14 to receive the tenon 11 which is positioned to give a high held spirited appearance to said head when the body stick is maintained in an appropriate inclined position during play with toy.

The base of the head being larger, by preference, than the body stick, engages the shoulders 12 and provides other shoulders 15 against which rest the forward ends ofthe reinforcing panels 16 mounted on opposite sides of said body stick. The several parts are fastened together by any suitable means as glue, nails, rivets, screws or other equivalents thereof.

Handles 17, one on each side of the body stick, preferably to the rear of the head, are provided by a dowel projected through the reinforcing panels 16 and the body stick with the ends thereof protruding beyond the adjacent outer faces of the respective panels.

The head is provided with a bridle or halter, either by painting the same thereon or attaching strips of material to the head in imitation of such a bridle or halter. In any case a pair of real reins 18 is provided and made of any suitable material to add realism to the toy.

A leg 19 is hinged underneath the body stick 10 intermediate the ends thereof and is adapted to be swung up against said body stick or pulled down to a position at approximately right angles thereto. A preferred way to assemble the leg 19 is to utilize a hinge member 20 consisting of a piece of sheet metal fashioned and formed to provide a pair of spaced parallel plates 21 having a connecting bend 22 at the lower front part thereof and a slot 23 directly above said connecting bend. The slot 23 registers with the body stick whereby the upper ends of the plates may be positioned on opposite sides of said body stick and secured in place by fastening devices 24, such as rivets. This leaves the lower portions of the plates 21 and their connecting bend 22 hanging below the body stick. The leg 19 is swingingly mounted on a pivot 25 between the lower portions of the plates 21 with a snug fit whereby said leg may be retained in the raised or folded position, Fig. l, by friction between the parts so that no extra holding means is required. The relative positions of the body stick, hinge member, leg and pivot to one another are such that when said leg is swung down into operative condition the forward edge of said leg will engage the connecting bend or wall 22 while the upper end of said leg will contact the underneath portion of the body stick within the confines of the hinge member plates as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

This will provide for holding the body stick in the inclined position depicted in Fig. 2 with the center of gravity between the foot end of the leg and the trailing end of the body stick when both of said ends are resting on a supporting surface.

. On top of the body stick, closely adjacent to but just back of the location of the connection between said body stick and the leg, is mounted a seat 26 preferably so that it will be in a plane parallel to the ground plane on which the toy is resting while the supporting leg 19 is in operative position. A simple and inexpensive way to mount the seat and accomplish the above mentioned desired result is to provide the seat with a bifurcated forward end so that the limbs 27, Fig. 4, can be positioned on opposite sides of the body stick as the latter is received in the space between said limbs and a fastening device 28 projected through the limbs and body stick. The edge of the seat between the limbs at the base of the space between them is undercut or beveled at 29, Fig. 5, to engage and rest upon the .top of said body stick. By using a single fastening device 28 the seat may swing up and down as indicated by dotted lines in said Fig. 5.

A toy constructed as herein described can be used by a child. as a hobby horse by simply folding the leg 19 up against the underside of the body stick, then straddling said body stick forward of the seat and grasping the handles. The child can now run about with the toy be tween his or her legs in imitation of horseback riding and when it is desired to stop for observations or consulations with companions, the leg of the toy is pulled down into operative position, Fig. 2, .at which the time the child may sit upon the seat and with his or her feet on the ground the toy will be prevented from tilting to either side. Y

The toy is highly amusing to children particularly because they can stop and actually play that they are resting their steeds or performing some of the actions which take place during fighting and hunting campaigns and expeditions.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that we have provided an exceedingly simple and amusing toy with which many games may be placed in imitation of real or frictional events.

Of course we do not intend to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and useful is:

, t A toy hobby horse comprising a body stick to be held in an inclined position with its rear end resting on a ground surface, a simulated animals head and handles on the front end of said body stick, said handles being used by a person straddling the body stick to hold the front end thereof in an elevated position, a hinge memer including a pair of parallel plates joined by a connecting bend at the lower front portions of said plates leaving the upper portions free and disposed on opposite sides of the body stick to which they are fastened, a leg having a round upper rear corner mounted between the plates in engaging relation with the underside of said body stick and with the connecting bend of the hinge member and extending at substantially right angles to said body stick, a pivot through the plates and leg whereby said leg can selectively be swung up underneath of the body stick parallel thereto due to the round corner, and a seat mounted on top of said body stick to the rear of the hinge member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 100,589 Tinker July 28, 1936 230,749 Crandall Aug. 3, 1880 291,657 Warry Jan. 8, 1884 336,156 Pursell Feb. 16, 1886 387,542 Rooker Aug. 7, 1888 953,755 Nidermaier Apr. 5, 1910 2,133,047 Sheldon Oct. 11, 1938 2,158,740 Brinkman May 16, 1939 2,225,114 Hoskins Dec. '17, 1940 

